How to Fit a Halter
Halters are available in the same sizes as bridles: pony, cob, full (sometimes called
average horse) and oversize (sometimes called large horse). Draft size halters are
available from specialty suppliers.
Some halter manufacturers provide weight
guidelines on their packaging labels to help
you determine the size in their halter line that
is most appropriate for your horse. In general,
if your horse requires a full size bridle, he’ll
also require a full size halter.
sides of the crownpiece, and some have only
one buckle on the left side. In the case of two
buckles, try to use symmetrical holes for the
crownpiece setting.
2)
crown strap
cheek piece
noseband
attachment
ring
To fit your horse’s halter properly:
1) Adjust the crownpiece, which will impact
the placement of the noseband, the looseness
of the throatlatch, and the angle of the cheek
pieces against your horse’s face. The crownpiece should fit over the horse’s poll, close
to the back of the horse’s ears, but not press
into them. Some halters have buckles on both
Fitting
Tip
Check the noseband portion of the
halter. It should sit about halfway between
the horse’s eyes and nostrils, lying under
the horse’s cheekbones so that the hardware joining the nose piece, chin strap and
cheek piece does not press into the horse’s
cheek bone.
The noseband must be adjusted snugly
enough that the horse cannot get a foot
or another object caught in it, but loosely
enough that he can open his mouth, chew
and breathe freely. Use two to three
fingers’ width between the noseband and
throatlatch
your horse’s face as a guideline. Some
nosebands do not have buckles for adjustment. If this is the case of your halter, take
extra care to be sure that you can obtain
the optimum position of the noseband by
raising or lowering the crownpiece with
buckle, and that the noseband isn’t too
loose or too tight.
Some challenges may exist based on your
horse’s conformation. For example, if your
horse has a very narrow head, you may need
to try halters from several manufacturers to
find the correct fit, or purchase a cob size
halter to achieve a snug enough fit. In this
instance, you’d need to be sure that the cheek
pieces are long enough to accommodate the
length of the horse’s face.
The horse can open his mouth and
chew, and the straps are positioned in
comfortable locations. The halter is
not so loose that when being handled,
buckles or rings could slip into the
horse’s eyes.
Poorly Fitted Halter
If the cheek pieces are too long or the
crownpiece is adjusted too loosely, the
noseband will sit too low on the horse’s
muzzle. In this case, it may impair the horse’s
breathing or in extreme cases, slip over the
horse’s nose.
3) Check the throatlatch, which should rest
under the head where the neck meets the
jowls. You should be able to fit three to four
fingers into the throatlatch area to be sure that
he can breathe and swallow, but this spacing will not enable your horse to get a foot
caught in that strap if he lowers his head.
4) Check the cheek pieces. Ideally, they
should sit parallel to the cheek bones. If the
throatlatch is too short or too long, or the
crownpiece is not adjusted correctly, then the
cheek pieces will not be able to run parallel
to the cheek bones.
Because leather can stretch slightly with time and conditioning, check the fit
of your leather halter periodically to be sure it hasn’t become too loose. Make
any necessary adjustment to your halter settings to maintain a proper fit.
Dover Equestrian Library
Properly Fitted Halter
© Dover Saddlery 2011
The horse could get a foot or other
object caught in the loose straps. The
halter will slip if the horse acts up
while being handled with this halter.
Related Topic Types of Halters
For more assistance or to request a
catalog, call 1-800-989-1500 to speak
with a Dover Saddlery product advisor,
or stop by any of our retail stores.
Visit DoverSaddlery.com for a complete
store listing and full product offering